Office hysteroscopy prior to ART cycle-analysis and outcome at a private IVF clinic setup in Surat, Gujarat, India

Background: Hysteroscopy is a gold standard test for assessing the uterine cavity. The presence of uterine pathology may negatively affect the chance of implantation .This study investigated the use of routine office hysteroscopy and correction of any intrauterine pathologies prior to starting IVF cycle on treatment outcome in women seeking IVF treatment for primary infertility and recurrent implantation failure.Methods: This was a retrospective study of 100 women who attended our infertility clinic from July 2016 to December 2016 and who were willing for office hysteroscopy. The main outcomes measured were clinical pregnancy rates achieved in the index IVF cycle, multiple pregnancy rate, ectopic pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate and failure rate.Results: Of the 100 patients who participated in the study, 75 patients conceived, 25 patients failed to conceive. 80.64% patients with normal findings on diagnostic hysteroscopy conceived after the procedure, 58.33% patients conceived after polypectomy, 68.42% conceived after septal resection, 71.42% conceived after adhesiolysis, 50% conceived after lateral metroplasty and 73.07% of recurrent implantation failure conceived after local endometrial injury was done on hysteroscopy.Conclusions: Hysteroscopy in infertile women prior to their IVF cycle when performed atleast 3 months in advance could improve treatment outcome

Heat-tolerant maize for rainfed hot, dry environments in the lowland tropics: from breeding to improved seed delivery

Climate change-induced heat stress combines two challenges: high day- and nighttime temperatures, and physiological water deficit due to demand-side drought caused by increase in vapor-pressure deficit. It is one of the major factors in low productivity of maize in rainfed stress-prone environments in South Asia, affecting a large population of smallholder farmers who depend on maize for their sustenance and livelihoods. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) maize program in Asia, in partnership with public-sector maize research institutes and private-sector seed companies in South Asian countries, is implementing an intensive initiative for developing and deploying heat-tolerant maize that combines high yield potential with resilience to heat and drought stresses. With the integration of novel breeding tools and methods, including genomics-assisted breeding, doubled haploidy, field-based precision phenotyping, and trait-based selection, new maize germplasm with increased tolerance to heat stress is being developed for the South Asian tropics. Over a decade of concerted effort has resulted in the successful development and release of 20 high-yielding heat-tolerant maize hybrids in CIMMYT genetic backgrounds. Via public–private partnerships, eight hybrids are presently being deployed on over 50,000 ha in South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan